About Giggles and Guns

Stress is something that we have to deal with daily in our lives. It’s a part of us, we carry our worries, work related problems and so on everywhere we go and it’s affecting us in more ways that we can imagine. Our health takes most of the hits that stress deals, more than 20 million people die each year from heart related problems, most of which are stress induced, that is why it is impervious for each and everyone of us to start controlling stress as best as we can. Why do I say control your stress and not battle it? Because stress is part of us, it is a basic function of our bodies that launches the famous fight or flight reflex, our main system of defense. We cannot eliminate stress compeltely from our lives, but we can learn to control it. Of course, the means of calming a busy mind have existed from times way before we even learnt about stress. Yoga, meditation and several other activities have been employed by men and women that wanted to take life easier, that wanted to do something to help them forget for a few moments about their daily problems and just take it easy. But what if you’re not into yoga and you just can’t calm your mind to meditate? What can you do to relieve your stress? Well, you’ll be happy to find out that visiting the shooting range has been proved to be one of the best ways to control stress. And the way in which it works will absolutely blow your mind.

Even if you are a little kid, you know what a gun is and what it does. You know that one simple mistake can cause the weapon to discharge and the bullet to hit something that you would not want it to hit. Studies have shown that from the first moment a person puts his or hers hand on a gun, their mind begins to focus only on the task straight at hand. You undestand instantly that if you are not paying attention to each and every single one of your actions, you may just make a mistake that could cost you a lot. You begin to forget about your worries, focus on the target, clear your mind of any mean thought, close one of your eyes and begin to pull the trigger slowly, but with confidence. Once the bullet flies out of the chamber at supersonic speeds with a bang that is enough to make your whole body tremble, you realise that your mind is now free. If you are on a holiday in Bucharest and want to relieve your stress by visiting a great shooting range, you just need to come and fire a few shots at Bucharest Shooting Club, the best and only place where you can fire a great plethora of weapons and be free of any thoughts that could ruin your vacation on one of the greatest cities in Europe!

Today I have an excerpt from Heather Wardell's book, Blank Slate Kate. Below you will find chapter one. Don't worry, Its a good chapter. My mouth tastes awful, like a thousand people have used it as an ashtray and garbage can. As I try to work up enough spit to swallow, my head begins to pound and my stomach churns. The flu's been going around my high school and I must have caught it. I want to yell for Mom but my throat's too dry, so I force my sleep-sticky eyes open so I can get out of bed. Horror fills me, shocking the sick feelings away. I'm not in my bed. I'm in a strange bed facing a sleeping guy. A guy I don't know. An old guy. I can't breathe. Did I lose my virginity to him last night? I was going to wait until I got married. What happened? How did I end up here? I scrabble backward and half-fall out of the bed, but before I can run away dizziness sweeps me and I throw up on the worn rug between my feet. The guy blinks and sits up. Kate? You okay?

Silence filled the room. She didn't know whether to believe him or not. His explanation sounded logical, and she would hate to think fate worked this out. Fate was what she first thought brought him into her life to begin with. He seemed so perfect for her. When they made love, it was so hot it almost seemed like sparks were flying off their bodies. At least at the time she considered it making love. Now she knew it was just sex to him, nothing more. Come here. He motioned to her. She snickered. I don't think so. Please, I just want to feel you again. Ain't happening, buddy. You had your chance. She knew all she had to do was resist him; that was the hardest part. He reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to him. Yanking away from him, she took a step backward. Come on, Sky, I know you still have feelings for me.

Oh, I definitely have feelings for you, just not the ones you're hoping for. He chuckled. You know, there's a thin line between love and hate. That line is pretty thick for me. I'm not so sure, at least she hoped. He stood, closing in on her as he stepped toward her, she found herself once again flat against the wall. Shit, how does this keep happening? His mouth was too close for comfort. Her eyes drifted to it for just a second. This is not a good idea, she whispered. Desire stirred in her. I want to have you. I need to have you. You're all I have wanted. Placing her hands on his toned chest, she pushed him back. You're not doing this to me again, got it? I will win you back, he said. Fool me once by Lacey Wolfe.

What the hell was he doing there? Skylar was finished with her aerobics class. Grabbing a bottle of water and squirting some in her mouth, she checked her schedule. She had an hour before her next class. That meant she had an hour to figure out what he was doing at this gym. Taking a towel, she wrapped it around her neck and wiped off the sweat. She headed out of the room, intent on finding him. He was easy to spot. He was in the cardio area, in the back row like a typical man, watching the ladies' butts jiggle as they worked out. Rolling her eyes, she started his way. Hi, Drew, she said sweetly. He turned off his machine and grabbed his water bottle. She watched as he touched it to his full lips, taking in a long sip. If you're done, do you mind following me so we can talk a minute? She knew a confrontation in the middle of the gym wouldn't look good for either her or the business. Sure, spinning around, she headed toward the staff only break room. Once there she stepped aside so he could come in. Luckily the place was empty. She shut the door and locked it. What are you doing here? She placed her hands on her hips, trying to portray she was irritated by him, when all she really wanted was to feel his mouth on her again. Honestly, I had no idea you would be here. He took a seat, clearly worn out from his run. My company just switched gyms. I was having a tough morning, so I wanted to blow off some steam by taking a run. I didn't know you would be here. It's a plus though...

Durrani’s mission takes him on a journey of espionage and subterfuge, discovery and enlightenment, violence and love. While the dedication and allegiance of men like Durrani may be exploited by the opposing forces of volatile governments, Durrani’s integrity could turn out to be the Achilles’ heel of those who would exploit him. While this novel neatly fits a long-established spy thriller formula, its setting is fresh and unique. It weaves a timely tale of extremist politics and terrorist plots with the insight of one who knows the field.

And purely from the cultural perspectives of the characters involved. I was impressed by the author’s ability to tell the story from an authentically cultural perspective, rather than from a western point of view. I was occasionally distracted by editorial oversights, but on the whole the story is well-structured, and it flows nicely. I especially appreciated the cover art, as it accurately captures the essence of the story. North from Calcutta is a strong offering from a new author; I had to look twice to confirm that this was in fact his first novel.

A time bomb is ticking. It has been so for centuries, but the ticking has suddenly grown louder. Tension in Kashmir is about to explode in yet one more, perhaps final, international episode. Tarek Durrani has always been driven toward what he considers to be the greater good. He has met unsought challenges with determination, and successfully balanced his humanity with the brutality of his life. From his early days as an anti-soviet mujahedeen in Afghanistan, to his current position as an officer of Pakistani intelligence...

Durrani has sought only to do that which his conscience can reconcile. Durrani is a loyal man. His intelligence gathering mission for the Pakistani government seems, at first, to be inconsequential. But he begins to suspect that it is part of a larger, more sinister plot to upset the fragile balance of two vehemently opposed two nuclear powers, India and Pakistan. He suspects that he may have become involved in an attempt to precipitate war over the long-contested control of Kashmir.

Next year I want more boxes as I have more ideas on how to grow things. This year was the first with this type of gardening and I did learn a lot. Next year the dirt will be better as well as I will be adding in more compost etc. also painted a bunch of old tires laying around, and threw a bunch of wildflower seeds in there and it grew like crazy. Hailstorm knocked quite a bit of it down, but it sure looked good before that. Same thing with this old planter barrel. Found it hidden in this bed of trees that had overgrown. I brought them outside and while we were gone the end of July, first week of August, they bloomed and I am going to have a ton of peppers on them. Last year they were inside and I had to pollinate them myself and got quite a few peppers, but now that nature has done its thing, I am going to get hundreds Ssile I love living out in the country. I love the gardening and I still don’t mind the commute. I could retire and keep myself busy for sure. I have been reading some blogs when I have had the time, and I hope to spend more time catching up soon. Hope you are all doing well and enjoying your summer.